Kiambu County Gov't defends piglet programme amid African Swine Fever outbreak

In a statement, the county said the programme, which has benefited more than 70,000 men and youth, is implemented in partnership with KALRO and is supported by established animal health and breeding standards.

The county said its piglets are sourced from KALRO, a government-owned agricultural research institution based in Naivasha, and argued that linking the programme to the outbreak would amount to alleging that the national institution had been breeding and distributing infected animals.

“Claims linking the programme to African Swine Fever are therefore false and misleading. They disregard the facts, ignore the stringent sourcing measures in place and seek to create unnecessary alarm among residents and beneficiaries, particularly in Kiambu County,” the county government stated.

The county said the piglet programme, spearheaded by Governor Kimani Wamatangi, has enabled households to venture into commercial pig farming, improve their incomes and establish sustainable enterprises.

It described the initiative as one of the county's successful economic empowerment programmes, saying beneficiaries across Kiambu had established pig farming businesses.

“Unfortunately, some individuals appear determined to politicise the issue and undermine a programme that has delivered tangible economic benefits to thousands of families. Such attempts cannot diminish the achievements of the initiative or erase the positive impact it continues to have on livelihoods across Kiambu County,” the county said.

The statement comes after a report by the Interior Ministry indicated that 1,470 pigs died from African Swine Fever in Kiambu County since mid-May, with the government reporting outbreaks in six other counties.

The report added that the disease had affected more than 20 farms in Kiambu, raising concerns over the potential spread of the highly contagious disease.

Further, significant ASF outbreaks had been reported in Tharaka-Nithi, Busia, Embu, Kakamega, Homa Bay and Migori counties.

Following the outbreak, the government intensified livestock disease surveillance by monitoring livestock movements and the movement of pastoralist communities across borders.

Other interventions include vaccination campaigns against Peste des Petits Ruminants and Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia, deworming, pest control and measures to strengthen Foot-and-Mouth Disease control.